Sheet-stacking machine



Sept. 3, 1929. G, W, LENTZ ,727,209

Y SHEET STACKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, '1926 5 sheets-sheet 1 Jla 9M@wfw/ Sept 3, 1929- G. w. LENTz SHEET STACKING MACHINE Filed Feb, 6, 19265 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. uw

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l .atroz uga Sept. 3, 1929. G, W, LEN-rz SHEET STACKING MACHINE 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 6, l1926 (JWN RN SN Sept. 3, 1929.

SHEET STACKING MACHINE G. W. I ENTZ Filed Feb. (5,4 1926 5 shets-sheet 457M WM attenta Sept. 3, 1929. Q W, LENTZ 1,727,209

SHEET STACKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v .2l 21a a24 dimmi" an;

A.Patented sept. s, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATE l LEN'JTZ,` OFCANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THF; BERGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, F CANTON, OHIO, ACORPORATION 0F OHIO.

GEORGE W.

SHEET-susurra MACHINE.

'Application mea February 6,- 192e. serial No. 86,610.

The\` invention relates tov machinesfor stacking sheets' delivered froma rolling mill l and the like and more particularly for stacking highlyfinished sheets delivered from highly polished cold finishing rolls, insuch a manner that\ the sheets 'are automatically stacked onedire'ctlyupon thel other without sliding and shifting them on 'each other andthus preventing any marring or scratching of 4 their surfaces. Suchsheets have heretofore beentstacked by the use of a number of laborers,who catch the sheets as they issue from Athe finishing rolls and stackthem in a pack.

The object of the invention is to provide an automatic sheet stackingmachine for continuous operation in rear ofa sheet finishing mill or thelike, so as to eliminate the use of manual labor which has heretoforeAbeen required for vthat purpose; and to provide mechanism which willstack sheets with less damage than is ordinarily done by manual labor.

These and-ancillary objects are lattained by the mechanism of thepresent improvement, which may be described in a general way as Yincluding retractible sheet catching and conveying means operative tocatch and convey thesheets at the edges thereof, and means forautomatically retracting said catching 'and conveying means anddroppingsheets Acaught and conveyed thereby to make a stack.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described inthe accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure-1 isf aplan view of an improved sheet stacking machine in operative combinationwith a sheet finishing mill shown partially in cross section, and alsheet delivery table;

Fig. 2, a vertical cross section of the sameas on line 2 2, Fig. 1

Fig. 3, an'end elevation of the sheet stackrows 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, an enlarged fragmentary end elevation looking inthe samedirection as in Fig. 3, illustratingla catcher and conveyor wheelandrmountingg and retracting means therefor; and i Fig.`5, an enlargedfragmentary side'elevation of the stacking machine, illustrating acatcher and conveyor wheel and mounting, and retracting means therefor.

Nr .ol-Fica l 3 and 3 through which sheets are fed in a well knownmanner from a feed table 4. The finishing mill. 2 is provided upon itsdelivery side 5 withsheet guide and supporting wheels or rolls 6 and ,6'having relatively deep V- peripheral grooves 7 therein for guiding theside edges-8 and 8 of a sheet 9 being delivered from the mill. The planeof the peripheral V-grooves of the wheel are horizontal, and the groovesof all the wheels 6 and 6 are preferably in the same plane for guidingand supporting a sheet therethrough without bending the same.

l The pair of guide wheels 6 for guiding and supporting the edge 8 of asheet 9 are mounted upon vertical spindles 10 supported on the ends of aspacer bar 11; the other pairl of groove wheels 6 for guiding andsupporting .the edge 8 of sheet 9, are likewise mounted.i

11 are preferably straight and parallel with each other and havelongitudinal axes parallel with the line of motion of the sheets throughthe mill.

The bar 11 is provided with a plurality of cylindric apertures 12 havinginternal threads which may be right hand while the bar l1 is providedwith a plurality of apertures 12 having internal threads which may beleft hand and whose axes are alined with the axes of the apertures 12,all of the aperture axes being at right angles to the lon- "gitudinalaxes of the bars 11 and 11 vforreceiving parallel shafts 13 providedwith right hand threaded ends 13 for screwing into the right handinternally threaded apertures 12 and with left hand threaded ends 13 forscrewing into the left hand threadedapertures 11 in the bars 11. Theends 13 are supported as by spaced bearings 14 secured to one sidelframe and bearing block 15. of the finishing mill 2; while the ends.13" are supported as by bearings 14 secured to the other side frame andbearing block 15- of the mill 2.

Below the bearings 14 upon the frame 15 a worm shaft 16 extending atright angles to the shafts 13 is rotatably mounted and provided at itsouter extreme end with an operating hand wheel 17 and at intermediate-points upon its length with worm gears 18 eyed thereto and meshing withworm wheels.

19 keyed to the shafts 13. A rotation of the hand wheel 17 ,l throughthe above described worm and Wheel gearing, will consequentlyA Vary thespacing of the aligned guide 'and' supporting Wheels 6 from the alignedguide land supporting wheels 6" to accommodiate sheets of varyingwidths. v The'top of the feed table 4, the nip 3 ofthe rolls 3 and 3through which the 4sheets are rolled, and the'mutual plane of theV-apexesv of the rolls 6 and 6 are intended to be in the same plane andat the same level; and the in 'the same plane and in the plane of the'function of the aligned wheels 6 spaced from the aligned wheels 6 listosupport and guide sheets issuing from ,the mill 2 into the sheetstacking machine '1.

The sheet stacklng machine indicated gen- L erally at 1 includes one setof aligned sheet guide and supporting wheels 6'il providedwith V-grooves7'l having their apexes in the same plane, and with another set of;

aligned sheet guide land supporting wheels 6" spaced from and parallelwith the first set. and provided with peripheral V-grooves 7a 6 angda asheretofore described. The V grooves 7EL ,and 7" of the wheels 6?* and 6aare` adapted to catch' highly polished sheets issuing from the mill 2 atthe edges thereof,

and to convey the same without bending them.

The parallel aligned sets of wheels 6a and 6a .with other parts about tobe described constitute retractable sheet catching, conveying andstacking means.

Each wheel 6 and 6a is secured at the up-l per end of, and driven by anormally vertical shaft 20, journaled in a normally vertical journalaperture-21 of-a bearing bracket 21 and supported thereon, as by acollar 22, the shaft having a bevel gear 23 keyed thereon at its lowerend. Each bearing bracket 21- is also provided with spaced bearing feet21a having aligned apertures 21 at right angles to the aperture 21..

The bearing brackets for the wheels 6a are all pivotally mounted upon ahorizontal' shaft 24, extending through the apertures 21 of the bearingfeet 21a'and having keyed thereon a plurality of bevel gears 25, each ofwhich is in mesh with one of the bevel gears 23.

The bearing brackets for the wheelsGa are likewise pivotally mountedupon a horizon' tal shaft 24 extending through the apertures 21" of thebearing. feet 21, and having keyed thereon a plurality of bevel gears25, each of 'threaded block 30 which is inV mesh with gears 23. lBracket bearing, blocks 26 are spaced between the bearing feet 21a andprovided with apertures 26 in alignment with the apertures 21, andthrough all of-which apertures one of the bevel lthe shafts 24 and 24extend.' The'blocks 26 vare secured as by bolts 27 to supportingchannels 28 and 28 extending in the directionof the aligned Wheels 6aand 6a', and the channels' are themselves .slidably mounted upon aplurality of :transversely extending parallel shafts 29, said shafts.being supported upon the foundation F by- :means of bearing blocks'30.'`

For-varying the transverse spacing of the sets of aligned rolls 6a and6a, the channels 28 and 28 upon-which the rolls are mounted asaforesaid,l are provided respectively with pairs of depending aperturedblocks 30 and 30.

The apertures in the blocks 30 are provided with internal right handthreads, while the apertures in the blocks 30 are provided lwith lefthand threads, andthe blocks 30 and 30 'are oppositely mounted upon thechannels 28. and 28 so that their internally threaded apertures arealigned with each other to receive shafts 31 which arejournaled attheirmiddles in bearing blocks 32 secured to a foundation channel 33,each shaft 31 belng providedat one fendl with right hand threads 31'screwed into a right hand threadshafts 31- may be 'j ournaled inbearing blocks 32" secured to foundation channel 33, and

l ed block 30 and at the/other end with left i100 the' shafts may extendthrough the bearing blocks-32 and be provided at their extended endswith bevel gears'34 keyed thereon.

The bevelgears 34 are meshed with bevel gears 34aspaced and keyed upon ashaft 35 angular to the shafts 31, and likewise journaled in the bearingblocks 32, and having vkeyed thereto at one end a bevel gear 36 in..-mesh wit-h a bevel gear 36f1 mounted at the bottom ofl a verticallysupportedl shaft 37 provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 38, theshaft 37 being journaled in avertical bracket 39.:

A rotation of the hand wheel 38 will, therefore, through-the bevelgearing just described and t-he right and left hand threaded shafts .31,consequently vary the spacing of the aligned'sheet conveyingand stackingwheels 6a and 61 to accommodate sheets of varying widths. i

Shafts 24 and 24 are each `provided at one of their ends respectivelywith bevel gears 40' 130 'l and 40 in mesh respectively with bevel gears41 and 41 keyed upon a shaft 42journaledin suitable bearing blocks 43,43 and43.

The bevel gears 41 and 41 are keyed upon the shaft 42 for slidinglengt-hwise thereon,

upon varying the spacing of the aligned sets 'of wheels 6a and 6a', asheretofore described.

Shaft 42 is onnected at an outside end 42"' Vautomatic stacking.

For providing 'automatic retracting means for the wheels 6 and 61, angleirons 46 -and 46 are secured to thenpper ends of the bearing brackets 21for the shafts for the respective sets of wheels 6 and 6*.

' The bearing blocks 26*al are provided between centrally locatedbrackets 21 and each vblock 26al is pivotally connected as at 47 withanupward extending link 48 having a sole-4 noid 49 mounted at. its upperend, the longitudinal axis of each solenoid being at an angle with thelongitudinal axis of' the link 48.

A piston 50 is slidably mounted in the aperture' 49a of each solenoid,and pivotally connected as at 51 with relatively short parallel links 52which are likewise pivotally connected as at 53 to pivot blocks 52, twoof which are secured to and depend from each of the angle irons 46 and46.

For limiting the inward pivotal movement of the link 48 to provide foranormally vertical positioning of the brackets 21, the links 48 areprovided near their pivotal' connecv tions47 with projecting lugs 55abutting against the outside 4faces 261 of the blocks 26E. A, 4

Pivot lugs 56 extend upward from the blocks 26EL land are provided withhooks 57 pivotally-mounted thereon as at 58 for coop,- eration`with ins59 mounted upon the links 48. The hoo s 57 are normally in hookedposition overthe pins 59 for maintaining the.

links 48 in' the upwardly extending position illustrated in Fig. 3, p

. Each piston 50 ex`tends a substantial distance into its solenoidaperture 49a and is pin connected to a cylindric rod 60 extendingthrough and beyond theaperture and upon' which a compression spring`61is positionedl abutting at its inner en'd with the end of the piston 50and at its outer end with an adjustable rod guide and spring stop l62screw mounted in a projecting cylindric extension 63 of the solenoid.spool 49".

The rod 60 is threaded at its extreme outer end 60 and provided withadjusting nuts 64, the rod freely sliding through the stop 62 so thatone of the nuts 64 may abut againstA said stop and provide adjustmentfor'pos1'. tioning the bracket 21 and a stop for inward,

movements of the piston 50. v

The solenoid winding, indicated by 49 of each solenoid 49, is providedwith leadl wires 65 and 65, and one wire'65 of one solenoid may beconnected to one power line-wire -66 while the lead wire 65 of the othersolenoid may be connected with the other power line wire 66. v

For providing automaticfswitching control for the solenoids,l the -wire65 of the second mentioned solenoidwhaving its wire 65 connected to wire66', may be connected-as by wire 67 with contact 68 of theV automaticpivotal switch -while the wire 65 of the first mentioned solenoid havingits wire 65 connected with powerline wire 66, may be connected as' bywire 67 with the other contact 69 of the switch 70.

The switch 70 includes blades 71 and.72

' pivotally connected with each other as at 73,

the contact 68 being mounted upon and insulated from theblade 71 and'thecontact 69 being mounted upon and insulated from the blade 72.` Blade 7lis secured to a horizontally extending bracket 7 4,1having an angularextension removably 'secured to the angle 46 as'by'clamp 76. Thebracket74 is mounted near the extreme end of thetangle 46 so that theswitch 70 depends therefrom in the line of motion of sheets deliveredfrom the mill and conveyed through the'wheels 6a and`6a.

The blade 72 of the switch 70 is provided with a downwardly extendinglever arm 77 which may be 'impinged by a sheet conveyed through thewheels 6 and 6a to `close the solenoid circuit heretofore described.

The peripheral velocity of the driven rolls 3 and 3 is preferably lessthan the peripheral velocity of the driven wheels 6a and 6a. The wheels6 and 6 are idler wheels freely rotatable upon their spindles 10.

f In'operation the sheet is fed from the feed table 4 through thefinishing rolls 3 and 3 and the end of the sheet issuing from the rollspasses through the idler guide wheels 6l and 6 and the side edges of thesheet are immediately caught in the rotating. V grooves 7u land 7a ofthe catcher and conveyor wheels 6a and 6*1 having a greater peripheralvelocity than the peripheral velocity ofthe rolls, and the sheet -isconveyed thereby at the velocity of the rolls until the other end of thesheet clears the rolls, whereupon the 4linear velocity of the sheet isimmediately increased to I the peripheral velocity of the grooves 7'aand 7F of the conveyor rolls 6a and 6a', soA as speedily to clear thesheet from the mill to vavoid interference with successive sheetsfedtherethrough.

The conveyor wheels 6 and 6a convey the caught sheet in the direction ofthe arrow A until the outer end 9 of t-he sheet impinges the dependinglever 77 of the switch 70, abutting the contacts 68 and 69 with eachother, thus closing th solenoid circuit and energizing the solenoi s,which are properly wound,l

.sol that when energized they outwardly draw `the pistons against thereaction of the spring 61 to retract the wheels 6a and 6 sufliciently toenable the sheet to drop directly down upon blocks 78 positioned betweentlie aligned wheels 6a and 641.

.\ When the sheet drops, the center of gravity of the blade 72 oftheswitch is such that the switchcontacts will separate, thus opening thesolenoid circuit and enabling springs 61 to reposition the shafts of theWheels 6a and 611- in their normal vertical position ready to catch andconvey and automatically stackthe next sheet fedthrough the mill.

Referring to Fig. 4, an enlarged, fragmentary view o position Pindicates the extreme lateral displacement of the,l wheels 6a whenautomati-l cally actuated by the'energized solenoids as aforesaid.-

After a lstack of sheets indicated by S i-n Fig. 3 has beenautomatically stacked by the I machine, hook 57 may be swung up aboutits pivotal mounting 58 to enable the wheels 6a to be laterallydisplaced to the position indicated by P1.

' to drop a sheet caught thereby, andthe sheet Wheels 6, obviously, byhe operation of j the machine, would be disp acedto similar positions inthe opposite direction.

The position of the wheels indicated by P1 enables the stack of sheets Sto be lifted directly up, as by a crane and removed from the machine. Byrecl'amping the hooks 57 over the pinsy 59, the machine is ready forfurther automatic operation.

I' claim: i l

l. A sheet stacking machine including retract-able wheels for catchingand conveying a sheet at the edges thereof and means for retracting thecatching and conveying wheels catching lwheels including means for'maintaining acaught sheet at a predetermined elevation until the caughtsheet' is dropped' by retraction of the catching Wheels.

2. A sheet stacking machine including retractable wheels for catchingand conveying asheet at the edges thereof, shafts upon which the wheelsare mounted, and means vfor retracting the wheels to drop a sheet caughtthereby, and the sheet catching' wheels including means for maintaininga caught sheet at a predetermined elevation until the vcaught sheet isdropped by retraction of the portions of the device, the dotted wheelsfor catchin and conveying a sheet atthe edges thereo means for rotatingthe wheels and mearis for automatically retracting thd\wheels to drop asheet caught therel by, and the sheet catching wheels including meansfor maintaining a caught sheet at a predetermined elevation until thecaught sheet is dropped by retraction of the catching wheels.

5. Al sheet stacking machine including wheels for catching landconveying a sheet atthe edges thereof, means for rotating the wheels,means for delivering a sheet to be caught by the wheels, and means forretracting the wheelsto drop the vsheet caught thereby,- and the sheetcatching wheels including means for maintaining aA caught sheet at apredetermined elevation until t-he caught sheet is dropped by retractionof the catching wheels.

6; A sheet catching and conveying wheels, means for rotating the Wheels,and means for deliv- A ering a sheet to the wheels, the peripheralvelocity of the wheels being different from the velocity of' a deliveredsheet, and the axes of rotation of the wheels being angular to the planeof the delivered sheet, and the sheet sheet stacking machine includingcatching wheels including means for mainl taining a caught sheet. at apredetermined elevation until the caught sheet is dropped by retractionof the catching wheels. l

.7. vA sheet stacking machine including sheet catching and conveyinWheels, means for rotatiny the wheels, an means `for delivering a s eetto the wheels, the peripheral velocity ofthe wheels being greater thanlthe velocity of the deliveredl sheet, andthe axes of rotation of thewheels being angular to the plane of the delivered sheet, and the sheetcatching wheels including -means 'for maintaining a caught sheet at apredetermined elevation until the caught sheet is dropped by ret-ractionof the catching Wheels. 8. A sheet stacking machine including sheetcatching and conveying wheels, meansv for rotating the wheels, means fordelivering a sheet to the wheels, the peripheral velocity of the wheelsbeing di'erent from the velocity of a delivered sheet, and 'means forllO retracting the wheels to drop the sheet cau glitthereby.

9. A sheet catching and 'conveying wheels, means .for rotating thewheels, means for delivering a sheet to the wheels, theperipheral-vesheet stacking machine including locity-of the wheels beinggreater than the velocity of, the delivered sheet, and means forretracting thel wheels to drop, the sheet caught thereby.

10. In combination, driven sheet rolls and retractable sheet catchingand conveying wheels for catching sheets delivered from the rolls, andthe axes 'of rotation vof the wheels being angular to the axes ofrotation of the rolls, and the sheet catching wheels including means formaintaining a caught sheet at a predetermined elevation until the caughtsheet is dropped by retraction of t-he catching Wheels.

11. In combination, driven sheet rolls and retractable driven sheetcatching'iand conveying Wheels for catching sheets delivered from therolls, and the axes of rotation of the wheels being angular to the axesof rotation of the rolls, and the sheet catching wheels including meansfor maintaining a caught sheet at a predetermined elevation until thecaught sheet is dropped by retraction of the catching Wheels.

` 12. In combination, driven sheet rolls and retractable driven sheetcatching and conveying wheels for catching sheets delivered from therolls, the peripheral velocity of the wheels being diiferent from theperipheral velocity ot the rolls, and the axes of rotation of the wheelsbeing angular to the axes of rotation of the rolls, and the sheetcatching wheels including mea-ns for maintaining a caught sheet at apredetermined elevation until the caught sheet is dropped by retrac tionof the catching wheels.

13. In combination, driven sheet rolls and retractable driven sheetcatching and conveying wheels for catching sheets delivered from therolls, the peripheral velocity of the yWheels being greater than theperipheral velocity of the rolls, and the axes of rotation of the wheelsbeing angular to the aXes of rotation of the rolls, and the sheetcatching wheels including means for maintaining a caught sheet at apredetermined elevatlon until the caught sheet is dropped by retractionof the catching wheels.

14. A sheet stacking machine including wheels for catching and conveyinga sheet at the edges of the sheet, and means for moving the wheelstowards an`d away from t-he edges of the sheet for alternatelypositioning 'alle wheels for catching and dropping the s ieet.

15. A sheet stacking machine including a pair of laterally spacedlongitudinally eX- tending members, means on each member adapted forreceiving and affording vertical support to the lateral edges of a sheetas it is moved longitudinally between the members, and means actuated bythe moving sheet when it attains a predetermined position with respectto the members and operative to move the members simultaneously inopposite directions away from the edges of the sheet for withdrawing thesupport for the sheet and allowing it to fall vertically.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GEORGE W. LENTZ.

